Cowboys rookie not phased by bigger role after DaRon Bland injury

The Dallas Cowboys have had as noisy an offseason as any team in the NFL. CeeDee Lamb was a holdout throughout training camp before finally getting paid a massive four-year, $136 million contract extension. There has also been a lot of attention paid to whether or not Dak Prescott will get an extension from Dallas or if he will sign elsewhere in 2025.

However, there are more pressing needs at the moment for the Cowboys. Cornerback DaRon Bland will be out for 6-8 weeks with a stress fracture in his foot, meaning rookie Caelen Carson will be getting more of the lion's share of snaps as the starter opposite of Trevon Diggs.

Carson spoke with The Sporting News about the opportunity he has before him.

"As soon as I got in the building [at Dallas] I felt the confidence they had in me and [I felt] them believing in me," Carson said. "That's all you can ask for in an organization is to give you an opportunity... nothing's set in stone right now, but I just want to make the most of my opportunity. Keep stacking days. Keep listening to DB, Al [Harris], Trevon [Diggs] - just keep doing everything I've been doing."

Carson added that while Bland is on the shelf, he knows he'll still be there to help guide the rookie.

"Nothing changes just because DB is down," Carson said. "DB's still gonna be right there, his presence is still gonna be felt and I'm still gonna gain as much knowledge as I can from DB and Trevon."

The Cowboys will take on the Cleveland Browns to begin their season in less than two weeks. And while they will be relying on the rookie out of Wake Forest a lot right of the bat, the pressure doesn't seem to be phasing him.